We live in an information economy, a vast archive of data ever at our fingertips. In the pages of science fiction, powerful entities-governments and corporations-seek to use this archive to control society, enforcing conformity or turning citizens into passive consumers. Opposing them are protagonists fighting to liberate the collective mind from those who would enforce top-down control.

Archival technology and its depictions in science fiction have developed dramatically since the 1950s. Ray Bradbury discusses archives in terms of books and television media, Margaret Atwood in terms of magazines and journaling. William Gibson focused on technofuturistic cyberspace and brain-to-computer prosthetics, Bruce Sterling on genetics and society as an archive of social practices. Neal Stephenson imagined post-cyberpunk matrix space and interactive primers. As the archive is altered, so too are the humans that interact with ever-advancing technology.

About the Author
Joseph Hurtgen is a science fiction critic, novelist, and screenwriter. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.


Book Information
ISBN 9781476672465
Author Joseph Hurtgen
Format Paperback
Page Count 158
Imprint McFarland & Co Inc
Publisher McFarland & Co Inc
Weight(grams) 290g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 8mm